Combined ash tray and cigarette extinguisher



Dec. 31, 1940. P. s. KUSHINER COMBINED ASH TRAY AND CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER l M I g Filed April 25, 1939 ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 31, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Phillip Steve Kushiner, Detroit, Mich. Application April 25, 1939, Serial No. 269,952

1 Claim.

The purpose of my invention was to produce a combined ash tray and a cigarette extinguisher, both useful, practical and attractive in design. All these features are incorporated in my inven- 5 tion, which in addition includes some novel mechanical features which renders the article of my invention described herein particularly efficient. It is owing to these novel features that the extinguisher included in my invention performs its function practically automatically.

It was also my purpose to devise a combined ash tray and a cigarette extinguisher which could be easily taken apart and cleaned, and just as easily put together for further use. Another l purpose was to provide an extinguisher devoid of any mechanism or complicated structure, and this in order that the production of the article described herein be rendered easy and the cost of same low. With these objects in view, I have de- 20 vised my improved ash tray and cigarette extingulsher, which I shall now describe in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of my inven- 25 tion.

Fig. 2 shows a well block comprising a part of my invention.

Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of my combined ash tray and extinguisher taken on 30 line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a sectional view of the tray and extinguisher taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

35 The ash tray may be made of any suitable material, such as metal or glass, although plastics such as Bakelite would be particularly adapted for the purpose. The article of my invention comprises two parts, a tray indicated by numeral l0 and a block l6, which I call a well block. The

tray is rectangular in shape, although it may be of any other shape, and consists of a flat bottom or floor II and upstanding sides l2. At opposite ends of the tragmt e level of the floor rises abruptly tq forin a shoulder l3 provided with troughs If inclined towards the floor ll. Approximately in the middle of said shoulder a deep recess I5 is cut therein to accommodate the above 50 said block IS. The block rests upon the floor in snug abutment with the walls of the recess I5 so as to be retained by frictional contact therewith. It is important that the bottom of the block be entirely smoothand that the surface of the floor 55 ll be also smooth, so as to secure a close and airtight contact between said block and between the bottom of the tray.

Said block rises above the level of the shoulder and contains a plurality of wells IT, as shown in the accompanying illustration. These wells or 5 cylinders reach from the upper surface of the block to the Very bottom of same and are somewhat larger than the diameter of a conventional cigarette. When resting upon the floor H andheld in the recess of shoulders l3, the ash tray and the block have the appearance of being one unit integrally connected. Actually, the block may be easily removed from the tray as the two parts are only frictionally held together by the walls of the recess of the shoulders as stated above. The troughs it have a use of their own as they serve to support burning cigarettes before they are finally thrown away.

The manner in which this article of my invention may be used is as follows." 2@

When a lighted cigarette is to be thrown away, it may be dropped into one of the wells ll, each of the wells serving as a receptacle for one discarded cigarette. The cigarette turned with the glowing end down, descends to the bottom of the well and as no air is allowed to pass between the bottom of the tray and the lower surface of the block, that is, since there is no air supplied to the lower space of the well, the combustion of the glowing end of the cigarette is retarded and finally smothered. This occurs very rapidly, and the simple process of dropping the cigarette into the well eliminates the prolonged smoldering of cigarette tobacco. In this manner, all possibility of generating acrid and irritating smoke, which is ordinarily produced when a cigarette partly extinguished is allowed to smoke on the ash tray, is eliminated. As the block contains a number of wells, a number of butts, that is, partly burnt up cigarettes, may be dropped into the block before it is necessary to clean same. When the time for cleaning arrives, all that is needed is to lift the block from the tray, whereupon all the cigarettes will drop to the bottom of the tray, when they may be easily disposed of.

The invention is simple and compact, but it performs a task assigned to it in a very efiicient manner. I realize that it adapts itself to many variations and that the form of the article, that is, my combined ash tray and block, may be easily 5 changed without departing from the scope of my claim. What I, therefore, claim is as follows:

In combination an ash tray comprising a fiat bottom, upstanding sides, two shoulders at opposite ends of said tray, each shoulder being prosomewhat larger than the diameter of individual cigarettes and deep enough to accommodate an individual cigarette. said wells reaching the bottom of the tray and being in an air-tight contact therewith.

PHILIJP S. KUSHINER. 

